I haven't seen The Happening or even Lady in the Water, but I agree with those who think that his recent films are better than they've generally been critically reviewed. Looking at The Village for example, I figure out what the twist was going to be about a third of the way through; but if you forget about the twist and focus on it as an exploration of fear and belief, it's excellent. I love the fact that he's got these two primary themes that he works with, and finds new things to say about them with each film that he does. That said, I think it's time for him to stop directing his own screenplays, and do something based on someone else's writing. And possibly even write a screenplay and give it to someone else to direct. But I'm glad to hear that some people are enjoying The Happening despite the poor reviews. I'm pretty sure I'll go see it at some point.
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